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Looking at buying our next home and are considering Garden City, Glenwood Landing (and surrounding area) and East Williston.
Would love to get some insight and advice about the three in terms of schools (STEM and/or other special programs/offerings), sports programs, taxes, commute into the city, etc.
I can speak regarding GC and EW. Let me start with the comments on the train lines. In the interest of transparency, it has been decades since I commuted but I have family that is still commuting.
Both Glenwood Landing and East Williston are on the Oyster Bay Line.
GC is on the Hempstead Line.
I spent most of my life using the Oyster Bay line. The Hempstead line is a little better than the Oyster Bay line, although it is still a commute.
The East Williston school district has an excellent reputation. There are 3 schools in the district. My sister lived in that district and I in a neighboring district a mile away. Pro for EW. very small district with excellent programs. Biggest negative is that the athletic program is not as strong as other schools. Not a very diverse school.
Garden City also has an excellent reputation. It is a much larger district, probably 3 times the number of students in 7 schools. This too, is an excellent school district with excellent programs. They have a very strong athletic program and it is very competitive. It is not very diverse.
I'm curious if there are any specific pros and cons comparing GC with EW in the two things you talked about, commute and schools.
Just based on greatschools rating, EW has better elementary while GC has better middle/high schools. I'd like to have more specifics.
Also, any comments on taxes comparing the two, or info within EW?
EW has no GnT programs but they did rank 4 and 2 in State assessments for reading and math - grades 3-8. Apparently, they have been top 5, for both for the last 5 years. No idea about GC.
Based on your last thread keeping it under 1m. You are looking in the the wrong towns. Tkur not going to find anything that’s decent for that price. I bet there is ain’t more than 7 homes under 1m combined in those 3 towns.
When we were looking for our first house 25+ years ago we found the housing stock in EW to be in worse shape and more money. No idea what it's like now. We liked the properties better though. Ended up settling in GC.
A house in GC that's under a million is probably going to be in the far eastern or the western section and likely to need work. We sold a relative's home for close to a mil, I don't think they will tear it down, but most people would.
Hard to compare the school districts without having lived in both. They are both highly rated. Pay attention to what is going on in the schools and your kids will be fine. When we lived there, once we got out of the primary schools (K-1) most teachers were not at all interested in parental involvement so bear that in mind. Big shock when we moved to NC and parents were welcomed into the classroom with open arms. GC will send 90% of its students to private colleges and universities - I imagine the peer pressure not to choose a state school is immense. No, not everyone who lives in GC is uber wealthy. My feeling in our short time in GC was kids get passed along - my youngest now goes to college with a lot of kids from these school districts and a lot of them can't read aloud and tell her the words she uses in her papers are too big. Again - pay attention to what your kids are learning (or not learning).
Can't speak to Glenwood Landing, grew up in Huntington so I love the north shore but we both worked in the GC area so the commute didn't make sense.
I can speak regarding GC and EW. Let me start with the comments on the train lines. In the interest of transparency, it has been decades since I commuted but I have family that is still commuting.
Both Glenwood Landing and East Williston are on the Oyster Bay Line.
GC is on the Hempstead Line.
I spent most of my life using the Oyster Bay line. The Hempstead line is a little better than the Oyster Bay line, although it is still a commute.
Updates on commuting as I am familiar.
Keep in mind that GC residents have the benefit of Main Line trains (Ronk or Huntington branches) by utilizing Merillon Avenue. This offers a lot more service especially off peak and is walkable for many GC residents.
You really have 3 stations along the Hempstead branch serving GC. GC, Nassau Blvd and Stewart Manor.
Hempstead branch trains are rarely crowded unlike the Main/Babylon lines.
Big change since you last commuted - One of the nice benefits for GC riders along the Hempstead branch is that since Grand Central Madison opened the Hempstead branch was redirected from Brooklyn to GCM providing super easy access to all of East Midtown business district. No change at Jamaica and no NYC subway if you are work in that area. You could easily be door to door in an hour/ish depending on how you fast you walk/where your office is. I've done it since GCM opened and its a dream come true.
Oyster Bay line isn't electrified and has always been treated like a stepchild.
Though I live in the Queens/Nassau border area, I drive for Uber Eats (to supplement early retirement) quite extensively in the areas you mentioned the past few years. All of the areas are nice and well kept, however I would never buy in GC. It's just way to close to the hood for my liking. Once you get south of Stewart ave, things change quickly. It's almost laughable, actually. One block is hood then the next block is beautiful manicured lawns and homes. I prefer EW because it is a bit more north from the riff raff.
I'm actually out in Las Vegas as I type this looking for a condo down the road. Absolutely beautiful suburban areas out here, surrounded by incredible mountain vistas and palm trees, perfect roads and great views of the strip at night! Sure, it gets hot in the summer but so does NY.
I'd never buy a home in the NY area given the hellish liberal storm that awaits.
Plenty of people from both Garden City and East Williston take the train from Mineola, which has the most frequent service, often express, taking about 35 minutes to either Penn or Grand Central. It also has a $6 daily pay, first come first serve 4 story parking garage. Both have excellent schools.
Garden City is very competitive with regard to sports; there are tryouts for town travel teams and cuts are made starting in 3rd grade while East Williston seems more inclusive. I know several people from GC who have sent their kids to state schools for college who have not suffered socially. There are also people who choose academically undistinguished small private Catholic colleges so their kids can play DIII sports. To each his own. The music program at Garden City, particularly at the high school, is top notch. The other thing you should know about GC is that it is heavily Catholic. No adult will care what religion you are or even if you are an atheist, but your kids may feel a little left out if you’re not a practicing Catholic because many kids do CYO sports and CCD.
For the record, I think Mineola is a good alternative, with solid schools and the same commute.
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